Read All About It : From once-obscure Asian cuisines to classic French to the lastest grain craze, the variety of cookbooks available for gift giving swells as Christmas approaches. To help cull the best from the rest, The Times' Food Staff has reviewed the year's most intriguing cookbooks. : Shrimp by Jay Harlow (Chronicle Books: $29.95, 116 pages, illustrated).

Afficiandos of this tiny crustacean need no encouragement on the subject, but this book is a good reason to become a shrimp fan if not already on that course. Spectacular photography makes favorites such as shrimp toast, tempura and jambalaya look good enough to eat.

There are untraditional uses of shrimp too. It turns up in a deep, rich green ravioli that cradles a shrimp-seafood stuffing, mixed shellfish risotto and a tortilla casserole with mixed shellfish are also on the book's bill of fare.

Other covered subjects include discussions of the differences between species, shrimp farming, a nutrition profile, explanations on judging quality and a buying guide.